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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Moving from london to Glasgow (HELP!)

188 replies

Bwith3 · 17/01/2017 10:19

Hi everyone! We are moving from London to Glasgow in March I have two children (3 and 15 months) and am 6 months pregnant (HELP) LOL. we are leaning towards southside; polakshields has been recommended, but has anyone else got suggestions. I am desperate to find a nursery for my son... Pref with council funding... But I just need him in a good nursery so I would sacrifice the funding... Any advice would be amazing!!!! Please help.

OP posts:
MercyMyJewels · 20/01/2017 12:50

The JesusandMarychain

MitzyLeFrouf · 20/01/2017 12:54

I love the Jesus and Mary Chain so much.

Glasgow has produced some really great bands over the years.

ThanksForAllTheFish · 20/01/2017 13:00

Southside definitely. If you are going down the route of pollokshields / shawlands / newlands area then I would say Deanpark nursery is very good. Langside primary and Merrylee primary are also very highly rated.

One thing to note with Glasgow is that our school system works differently to England. You really want to be living in an area with good catchment schools (rightmove or council website will tell you schools in catchment for particular house).

Children tend to go to their catchment school (usually 2 in each area - a non denominational one and a catholic one). You go into the school (January before they start) and register them for that school. Very, very occasionally the school will be oversubscribed and you will be offered another one but it's not that common. You can also apply for an out of catchment school by doing a placing request but you still need to register with the catchment school first and have no guarantees of getting in out of catchment school.

Children also start school later. The cut of is Feb/March. So if your child was born in March they would start school at 5y 5 months (oldest) but if they have a Feb birthday they start at 4 years 6 months (youngest). Jan and Feb birthdays can defer and start the following year - not skip reception year and start year 1 like in England but start at the beginning of P1 (YR equivalent)

What else - being from London you will find our subway system laughable. It's just a circle line with 15 stops!

Sorry I've got all carried away and gone way off point OP.

Elllicam · 20/01/2017 13:09

I agree East Kilbride is great for families, it has lots of parks, soft plays, good schools and house prices. It also has tons of kids activities, groups and classes and is very easy to integrate as a family. I moved here a few years ago and found it very easy to meet other mums.

prettybird · 20/01/2017 13:22

As you can see, many of us are very passionate about the benefits of where we have chosen to live (or used to live). Smile

I thought initially that we would move back to East Dunbartonshire (Bearsden/Milngavie) - back to where I was brought up and closer to my parents - when ds got close to going to secondary school. However, I did my research and realised I had a brilliant school on my doorstep (albeit I had to do a placing request for it but so far they've never turned down placing requests and it's still only a 15-20 minute walk for ds) so why move to a smaller house when the school wouldn't actually offer more? Personally, I love the fact that the school has a very mixed demographic and racial profile and that ds has a wide range of friends. He is still going to get excellent exam results.

I don't know much about the nursery on Albert Drive (Heritage House, a Busybees nursery) but one of ds' (lovely) teachers at primary school used it. They were also lovely when our beloved Siamese got knocked over and killed when crossing the road to visit them (which we found out later he used to do regularly - he was ridiculously friendly): taking him to the vets (which by chance was our own vets) to get scanned for his chip Sad

The council run nursery on Nithsdale Road is/was very good - ds went there, but it is only from age 3 and has the disadvantage of only being morning or afternoon 3 hour sessions, term time only.

90shadesofnavy · 20/01/2017 13:30

How I miss my hometown..
I moved in the opposite direction from you OP in the mid 90s and while London is where I live, it's not home..that's still Glasgow.
South side born and bred so that's where I'd recommend - for all sorts of reasons many of which have already been discussed. The parks, the views, the value for money.
Haven't RTFT but I didn't see whether you'd be in the car with the DC. If so then have a look on Zoopla - there's a reasonable ground floor flat in Busby plus an end of terrace 3 bed in Bonnyton Drive in Eaglesham (800 pcm) both just refurbished. But for the latter you'd definitely want transport. all the best!

MercyMyJewels · 20/01/2017 14:16

OP
I'm not sure if anyone has mentioned that there will be a choice of Catholic or Non-denominational schools in each catchment area. You or your child do not have to be Catholic to attend a Catholic school if you so wish. You can opt of the RE (I think) and certainly the Catholic occasions, Communion etc

unlimiteddilutingjuice · 20/01/2017 16:44

One of the advantages of living in a small city like Glasgow is that it’s already so accessible to the countryside etc. So I wouldn’t really see any advantage to living in a commuter town like East Kilbride. Giving up all the benefits of city living for few returns.

This is very true Mitzy. And a massive improvement from London. Just hop in a car, drive north and end up somewhere fantastic.

MoreProseccoNow · 20/01/2017 17:28

Ah, Glasgow, my home city. I'd go bank in an instant.

For 1K pcm, I'd look around the M77 corridor, starting from Strathbungo, and working through Shawlands, Newlands, Giffnock & out Newton Mearns. 1/4 of a mile in each direction & you'll be fine.

Bwith3 · 23/03/2017 02:08

I'm back!!!!! Lol

So the past weeks have been super crazy!! New baby is due at the end of next month, my son is now three and my daughter is 18 months.

We have decided on a house in cambuslang (I think I just gave up, it was so difficult to find somewhere) I have no idea about the area, I haven't even seen the property in reality, my husband has seennit and I just agreed looking at pics (hopeni wont regret this).. Odontoceti know if cambuslang is a rough area or not for small kids... I was just too desperate Sohni agreed to it. I gusss we are just renting so if it's awful we could always just move.

I need advice on nurseries, play groups and anything to do that will keep me sane lol

OP posts:
MammyV · 23/03/2017 03:36

Hi I'm in rutherglen just a few minutes from cambuslang. Some lovely wee nurseries and schools there and fab for transport links. (10 mins in train to city centre). There are, like many areas, good and bad bits of cambuslang but to be honest it's an ok place to live, and I guarantee you will meet lots of mums! Some of the local schools have recently performed really well so you will have a good choice x

alwaysbusy2 · 10/09/2017 19:40

Have only just stumbled across this, so too late for OP, but felt the need to add a corrective to some of the outlandish snobbery I've read on the thread.

Many appear to have made assumptions about the original postee - about their background, social class, budget and ethnicity, for example - which has informed some really stunning generalisations that I hope she wasn't offended by.

I'm writing as someone who lived in the west end (Kelvingrove) for 16 years, then moved to Pollokshields/ Strathbungo with my family just before my daughter started primary school.

I loved living in the west end. Yes, amenities are second to none, and it is a pleasant place to be most of the time, Kelvingrove park and museum are beautiful, there are fantastic libraries and the science centre on your doorstep. Having said that, there were distinct disadvantages to living beside Glasgow's new trendy hot spot, Finneston: overdevelopment of student accommodation; temporary/fleeting communities of students/young professionals; noise; inflated house prices. We lived on a street where our daughter was the only child there.

We moved southside for a bit of garden, extra space and a more family-oriented community. Our home is 2 mins walk from 2 train stations with frequent trains that take 5-10mins to get into city centre, on a very quiet street (despite being just off a main road), we have cafes, organic food shops, bars, restaurants, if that's your thing. We have a diverse ethnic community which feeds the creative and gastronomic vibrancy of the area. Govanhill is imperfect but certainly not a no-go zone! I have no idea why anyone would describe Pollokshields as "rough", some of Glasgow's best, most architecturally impressive tenements are there. There are many good primary schools, my daughter plays on the street and in the front gardens with her pals from 3 different schools. It is easy to commute to town, plenty of options and an easy cycle. Great local libraries too, and an arts centre that is home to Scottish Ballet, offers free tai chi and hosted the Turner Prize. I have never felt isolated here as a mum of a baby, a different feeling from my west end maternity experience.

Some sensible advice already provided regarding nurseries. It is still very difficult to get a nursery place at a council nursery for a full day if that's what you require. The campaign Fair Funding for Our Kids will fill in the gaps for anyone wanting to know the difference between the Scottish and English nursery systems of funded places. One disadvantage of the southside is there are fewer nurseries here than the west end. That is because the west end is close to town and has many major employers within it, hence high demand for childcare. However, you may find private nurseries are cheaper on balance in the south.

For anyone in OP's position reading this, best of luck with your move, and I hope you are mindful of snobbery and veiled racism where it emerges on this discussion thread. The best guide is your own instincts, so come and visit and enjoy some time exploring this great city and its many neighbourhoods before you make your choice.

Krabdn · 18/04/2022 21:00

Moving from London to Glasgow. Children aged 15 and 10. So basically there is a need for both good secondary school and primary school. I would also need honest suggestions for good areas to live too. Basically guidance to start with. Any suggestions even if basic would be highly helpful. I have lived in Aberdeen before. So have some idea about things.

Many Thanks

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